Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. Boosts Position in Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT)

Key Points

• Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its stake in Walmart Inc. by 6.6%, holding 1,530,781 shares valued at approximately $133.8 million.
• Walmart reported an earnings per share (EPS) of $0.61 for the recent quarter, surpassing estimates, with revenue at $165.61 billion, an increase of 2.5% year-over-year.
• The company announced a $0.235 dividend to be paid on September 2nd, with a yield of 90.0% and a current payout ratio of 40.17%.

Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT - Free Report) by 6.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,530,781 shares of the retailer's stock after acquiring an additional 94,913 shares during the period. Walmart accounts for about 0.8% of Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th largest position. Resona Asset Management Co. Ltd.'s holdings in Walmart were worth $133,785,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WMT. Whelan Financial lifted its holdings in Walmart by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Whelan Financial now owns 4,339 shares of the retailer's stock valued at $392,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Bedel Financial Consulting Inc. now owns 25,915 shares of the retailer's stock worth $2,275,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Scott & Selber Inc. now owns 2,920 shares of the retailer's stock worth $256,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.4% in the 1st quarter. Capital Advisors Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,794 shares of the retailer's stock worth $684,000 after acquiring an additional 105 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Lauterbach Financial Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Walmart by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. Lauterbach Financial Advisors LLC now owns 5,885 shares of the retailer's stock worth $517,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 26.76% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WMT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. KeyCorp raised their target price on Walmart from $105.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 9th. Tigress Financial raised their price objective on Walmart from $115.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $103.00 price objective (up from $102.00) on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Walmart from $100.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 7th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $115.00 price objective on shares of Walmart in a research report on Monday, June 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, thirty-one have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $106.70.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Kathryn J. Mclay sold 28,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $97.00, for a total transaction of $2,716,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 1,064,455 shares in the company, valued at $103,252,135. The trade was a 2.56% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO C Douglas Mcmillon sold 29,148 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $96.58, for a total value of $2,815,113.84. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 4,451,199 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $429,896,799.42. The trade was a 0.65% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 146,112 shares of company stock valued at $14,080,073. Corporate insiders own 0.10% of the company's stock.

Walmart Trading Down 0.2%

NYSE WMT traded down $0.25 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $103.68. The stock had a trading volume of 17,913,175 shares, compared to its average volume of 13,932,130. The company has a market capitalization of $827.41 billion, a PE ratio of 44.31, a PEG ratio of 5.00 and a beta of 0.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.22, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.47. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $97.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $95.51. Walmart Inc. has a twelve month low of $67.14 and a twelve month high of $105.30.

Walmart (NYSE:WMT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 15th. The retailer reported $0.61 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.58 by $0.03. Walmart had a return on equity of 21.76% and a net margin of 2.75%. The business had revenue of $165.61 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $164.53 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.60 earnings per share. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 2.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Walmart Inc. will post 2.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Walmart Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 2nd. Stockholders of record on Monday, August 18th will be given a dividend of $0.235 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a dividend yield of 90.0%. Walmart's payout ratio is currently 40.17%.

About Walmart

Walmart Inc engages in the operation of retail, wholesale, other units, and eCommerce worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Walmart U.S., Walmart International, and Sam's Club. It operates supercenters, supermarkets, hypermarkets, warehouse clubs, cash and carry stores, and discount stores under Walmart and Walmart Neighborhood Market brands; membership-only warehouse clubs; ecommerce websites, such as walmart.com.mx, walmart.ca, flipkart.com, PhonePe and other sites; and mobile commerce applications.